I saw 5 bucks and 5 doe moving through my hunting lanes that morning. Most moved through before I could get a shot but this buck passed by 3 different times over a 90 minute span. Everytime a doe came to the corn (80 to 100 yards down the lane) a buck would come out to chase it but this buck had moved away from me and disappeared but came back 10 minutes later when a doe came out. The doe went into the trees and the buck stopped about 240 yards away. He moved closer following a series of scrapes (I didn’t see these until I started tracking the buck). When he was about 225 yards away, he finally turned broadside giving me a quartering away shot. It jumped and kicked his back legs and after waiting about 40 minutes, we started tracking the buck. No blood was found at first because there was no exit wound from the angle of entry (the bullet stopped at the opposite shoulder). The 8 point antlers were wide (17.5″ inside spread) and very symmetrical. It only traveled 50yds before it dropped. We estimated the weight to be about 175-180 pounds after dragging it back to the pickup truck. My friend said that it was one of the biggest he had seen on his property this season but had not seen it on any of his trail cameras. It was a great experience to get a big 8 point buck!
Dick Wesendunk
Cary North Carolina
Johnston County, NC
Nov 10
8